


Twice is a Coincidence

by exmanhater



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: 5 Times, M/M, Trapped In A Closet, Trapped In An Escape Pod, trapped in a cave, trapped in things together everywhere all the time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-15
Updated: 2017-09-15
Packaged: 2018-12-29 23:56:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12096228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exmanhater/pseuds/exmanhater
Summary: Five times Zeb and Kallus were stranded somewhere together.





	Twice is a Coincidence

**1\. Geonosis**

Kallus didn't expect one cold night trapped on a moon with a sworn enemy to change his life so drastically. He'd always prided himself on his clarity of thought, his ability to see more than others. The idea that he could be just as ill-informed as the average Imperial citizen was unthinkable.

He couldn't help but think it, when he was rescued from Geonosis and Zeb's words reverberated in his brain, refusing to go away.

It gnawed away at him slowly until he forced himself to see without blinders and preconceived ideas, to observe what was happening around him from a neutral perspective. Once he finally saw the true nature of the Empire—the cause to which he'd given his life—he could not ignore it. He hated Zeb for that, at first, because it meant they would not ever be even, no matter how much work he did as Fulcrum for the crew of the Ghost and the rebellion.

He eventually became grateful for the chance to try, standing in the corridors of a ship he'd failed to destroy countless times, accepting thanks he did not deserve from a Jedi he'd tried to kill.

He was grateful he'd once spent a miserably cold night with a person who wouldn't let him keep lying to himself. That did not, however, mean he wanted it to become a habit.

 

**2\. Yavin IV**

"What? Specter 4, I didn't copy, where are you? We need—" Hera's voice crackled and died out over the com.

Kallus turned to Zeb, eyebrow raised, as the rest of the dust from the cave-in settled around them.

Zeb grinned sheepishly. "We've got to stop meeting like this?" he tried.

Kallus sighed, sliding down to sit against the largest of the boulders now blocking their exit. "If you'd _listened_ to me, we'd have gotten out before the entrance collapsed."

"We could've made it if you hadn't insisted on stopping every ten seconds to test the kriffing cave wall stability!" Zeb shot back. He kept pacing, walking back and forth in the barely three square meters of space they had. Kallus felt the hint of a smile threatening to break out at the sight of Zeb's muscled arms flexing and swinging around as he stomped like a large, purple toddler.

They weren't in real danger. Hera knew their planned route, and eventually the team she sent would scan the right place for life signs and dig them out. Still. It was embarrassing.

"You might think about sitting down and conserving our air," Kallus said. He closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxing and realizing just how tired he felt. Despite the cold air and hard rock surface, it felt good to slow down for a moment. It had been one grueling mission after another for them, especially with Sabine and Ezra gone to help Ursa Wren. That made Zeb, Kanan, and Kallus the best operatives Hera had, and Kanan rarely got stuck doing the kind of grunt work they were currently meant to be doing. The base was well-established here, but with more people arriving regularly, more space was needed, and scoping out new habitable caves and tunnels was a common mission objective.

Kallus had expected to have an easy morning's work, followed by food and a sparring session with Zeb. Instead, it looked like they would both get an enforced break underground. He should take advantage of the chance to rest, and as he settled more firmly against the rock, he heard Zeb sit down as well.

"Not what you expected when you became a rebel, eh?" Zeb broke the silence a while later, and Kallus jerked out of a half-doze.

He chuckled once he parsed Zeb's meaning. "Stranded in small spaces with you? Well, that's how I got into this whole mess to begin with, so I suppose I can only blame myself for not anticipating my future properly."

"Twice is just a coincidence," Zeb said. "Wait until it happens three times before you jump to conclusions."

"Honestly, I expected not to have a life as a rebel at all," Kallus said, in a surprising burst of honesty. Zeb always seemed to bring that out in him. "I thought I would die."

Kallus didn't expect a reply, but Zeb laughed, a short humorless sound. Kallus looked up to see Zeb staring at the blocked cave entrance.

"I've felt like that every day since Lasan, seems like," Zeb said. He ran a hand over his head and looked at Kallus. "I think most of us do a bit. We're all on our second or third chance, just like you."

Kallus swallowed. If getting stuck with Zeb in caves always led to this sort of emotional honesty, he felt he'd better work hard to make sure it didn't happen again. He didn't want to have anything to lose. He'd thought he'd known what that felt like, losing his home and his place in the Empire, but even after just a few short months with the rebellion, he could feel how much worse losing this new makeshift family would be for him. He'd gained a mission and a purpose, and that he'd expected, had felt since the first time he worked against the Empire. The extra sense of belonging was surprising, not something he deserved at all, and immediately a thing he feared losing.

What was worse, he'd become… quite attached to Zeb, this person who should resent him and instead had become his fiercest advocate in the rebellion. He'd had little time for that sort of feeling in the ISB, and had even less now, but that fact didn't seem to be keeping him safe from it.

Agent Kallus didn't like having a weakness. Kallus, Alex, Fulcrum—whoever he was becoming in his new life—wasn't sure if having something to lose should be called a weakness, but still didn't like the feeling.

"So you do fit right in," Zeb continued. "Even if you get annoyed with our lack of attention to detail and protocol."

Kallus smiled to himself at the way Zeb said the words, as if he couldn't think of anything worse than order and discipline.

"AP-5 is your biggest fan," Zeb said. "That's the worst part, you know. Almost makes me rethink the decision to recruit you in the first place."

Grateful at the lightening of the tone, Kallus snorted. "Oh, was that a decision, Captain? I'd rather thought it was just another accident, the kind you always seem to pull out of your ass at the last possible moment."

Zeb's shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. "Hey! My plans are amazing, and _your_ ass should be grateful for them." 

Kallus abruptly felt his face redden. Fantastic. He really wanted to be thinking about his ass and Zeb at the same time. He was saved by a faint rumbling in the ground and the sound of shouting outside the cave.

Zeb smiled at him, ears tipped up. "Hera to the rescue."

"Indeed," Kallus replied, and let the familiar fatigue and adrenaline move his mental state back to normal, or as close to it as he could get.

 

**3\. A closet inside a cargo ship**

"Ezra Bridger, if you do not unlock this door immediately, I will make your life an unbelievable misery!" Kallus was yelling by the end of the sentence. His shoulders were tight against Zeb's, both of them facing the door of a locked closet inside the stolen Imperial cargo ship they were taking back to base.

"Yeah, well, I'll handle that later," Ezra shot back. Kallus could _hear_ his smirk through the door. "You're not getting out until the tension is gone! We can't take the constant sniping and fighting and staring anymore."

"You little brat!" Zeb shouted, pounding his fist on the door. "I'm going to throw you out the airlock for real this time!"

Sabine spoke up then, voice fainter than Ezra's, but just as smug. "You'll thank us later. Better hurry, we'll only be in hyperspace for another few hours before we get back to base. You don't want to explain to Hera why you're locked in a closet, do you? Better fu—sorry, _work_ it out!"

"Yeah," Ezra continued. "I mean, we're supposed to be the teenagers around here."

Kallus turned as well as he could in the small space mostly taken up by Zeb's large, warm, _distracting_ presence. "It's no use," he said quietly, as Sabine and Ezra walked away, followed by Chopper, who was still laughing to himself in that sinister chuckle of his. Kallus took a moment to be grateful Zeb couldn't understand the droid.

"They aren't listening," he tried again, when Zeb continued pounding on the door. "All you're going to accomplish with that is giving me an elbow to the face."

"Maybe that'll make me feel better," Zeb grumbled, but he immediately pulled his arms in, turning to give Kallus a bit more breathing space. Kallus needed it, to his chagrin. His natural gravitation toward Zeb since the attack on Attolon (since Geonosis, since Lothal, if he were being honest) had always had an undercurrent of attraction, but close quarters and their uncertain future were making it harder to ignore.

And making it more noticeable to others, clearly, leading to Sabine and Ezra locking them in a closet together for the remainder of their trip back to Yavin IV. He'd seen juvenile pranks before, both at the Academy and in the rebellion, but this was the first time he'd been so personally targeted by one.

He tried not to look as mortified as he felt, aware of Zeb's eyes on him now. He'd never meant for this—this feeling to be something Zeb noticed. His face burned and he willed himself to calm his breathing, cursing his pale skin.

Zeb huffed, raising one hand as if to run it over his head before remembering that would result in a black eye for Kallus. 

"Look," he said, and Kallus was surprised to hear embarrassment in his voice. "I'm, uh, sorry the kids did this."

Shocked into looking up, Kallus took in Zeb's downcast expression. "Why?" he asked. "It isn't your fault."

Zeb let out a deep breath, then another. Kallus could almost feel the touch of Zeb's chest brushing his with each expansion. He kept meaning to look away from Zeb's eyes, but he found that he couldn't. Zeb finished his series of long exhales and spoke again without breaking their eye contact.

"I've been a little obvious," he said. "Subtle's not really my thing, but I know it's a bad time for it and I'll tell Ezra and Sabine to knock it off."

Kallus blinked. "What?" he said inanely.

"Don't tell me the former ISB agent hasn't noticed," Zeb said. "You don't—it's not like I'm expecting anything. It'd be too weird, right? I mean, who'd think you'd go for me?"

Kallus blinked again. He'd clearly been very, very wrong about a great many things, and no one could accuse him of refusing to change his approach when new information came to light. "You like me," he said, testing the words out, hearing their truth. Zeb twitched and Kallus kept going. "You're attracted to me. You can't possibly think the feeling is unrequited."

It was Zeb's turn to look dumbfounded. 

Kallus reached up through the small space between their bodies and ran a hand over Zeb's neck, pushing aside the tight line of his shirt. "The kids were right about the reason for our sniping," he said. "And I can think of much better ways to work it out than another sparring session, if you're willing."

Zeb finally grinned, the usual confidence back in his face, and pulled Kallus in flush against him, head leaning into Kallus's touch. "You've never had sex with a Lasat or you wouldn't say that."

Feeling a very undignified swoop in his stomach as Zeb's hands wandered low on his back, Kallus let himself go and began to kiss Zeb's neck, enjoying the feel of the soft, short fur against his lips. He pulled back briefly to say "How so?" before moving up Zeb's jaw and the longer fur there.

"It'll definitely be a sparring match," Zeb rumbled. His eyes were bright and full of challenge when Kallus looked at his face again.

Kallus couldn't help smirking. "I think you'll find me a considerable opponent," he said. "I don't play fair."

He drew Zeb's face down and brought their mouths together, and though they didn't speak again for quite some time, they were not at all quiet.

***

Several hours later, when Sabine and Ezra cautiously opened the door once they'd come out of hyperspace, they screeched simultaneously at the result of their efforts. Zeb and Kallus were slumped together on the ground, still clothed, but their earlier activities were very clear.

"My eyes!" Ezra moaned, flailing back from the doorway as they stood up. Kallus felt pretty sure it was for dramatic effect. What else had the brats expected to happen?

Sabine gave Kallus a leer he wasn't entirely comfortable seeing on her face. "Congratulations," she said. "Now don't ever do this in front of me again, please. No one needs to see either of you looking so happy."

"I feel that's very hypocritical of you given that this entire situation is your fault," he replied. "But your preferences are noted."

Zeb grabbed Ezra by the arms and growled at him, although Kallus thought it seemed rather forced. "Kid, I meant what I said about spacing you. Don't do that again."

Ezra, not deterred by the threat or the growling, held up his hands in a placating gesture. "I mean, sure, I won't lock you in a closet with Kallus to make you face your sexual tension again."

"Once did the trick," Sabine muttered to Chopper, who chortled.

"Don't lock me in anything with anyone!" Zeb said. Ezra looked like he might keep arguing, but Hera's voice came over the com at that moment, drawing everyone's attention. 

"Come in Specter 5," she said. "I hope this radio silence means someone's being lazy and not that you're all dead."

Chopper, who'd been surprisingly quiet for far too long other than laughter, immediately started babbling at Hera.

Ezra and Sabine looked at each other guiltily.

"They did WHAT?" Hera's voice shouted.

Zeb and Kallus grinned at each other. Vengeance from on high would be sweet.

 

**4\. An escape pod**

"Karabast!" Zeb said, pounding a fist on the communications unit. "Coms are down, there's no way the Ghost knows where we are. And I can't get the navicomputer to cooperate. We're dead in the water."

Kallus arched an eyebrow. "When I said I wished we could have some more downtime together, Garazeb, I did not mean inside a malfunctioning escape pod."

"This doesn't meet your exacting Imperial standards?" Zeb said, clearly trying not to sound as worried as he felt. "I'll tell Hera not to send us on anything but luxury missions from now on."

Kallus pushed on Zeb's shoulders, urging him to move back. "Let me see the panel," he said. "It's an Imperial pod and I'll have the best chance at fixing it. You figure out what sort of supplies we have."

Zeb growled low in his throat, but moved easily to check the storage compartments. Kallus looked at the damaged panel and sighed. It did not look good. He pulled the emergency transponder out and sighed again. He'd need to fix one of these if they wanted to be rescued, and from the look of things, the transponder would be easier. He cracked open the side of the transponder and grabbed a tool.

"There's a lot of ration packs," Zeb said from the back of the pod. "And a blanket or two. We won't starve."

"We may not starve," Kallus said. "But we may freeze, even with blankets. Life support looks like it might not last too long."

There was a pause, then Zeb's ears appeared in Kallus's peripheral vision, followed by the rest of his head.

"I'll keep you warm," Zeb said. The leer on Zeb's face was a bit forced, but Kallus appreciated the attempt at normalcy.

"I'll let you know if that becomes necessary," he said. "Hand me a power cell from that console, please."

Zeb pulled a power cell out and gave it to him. "How's it looking?"

"Not good," Kallus said. "I might be able to fix the emergency transponder, but the range is limited. We're not anywhere near our planned route."

"We've survived worse," Zeb said, putting his warm hand on Kallus's shoulder. "Hera and Kanan won't give up on us."

"I know," Kallus replied, and didn't add what they were both thinking. It wouldn't matter that they _would_ be found if they weren't found in time.

They settled into a routine easily, used to working with each other now. In less fraught circumstances, Zeb would be devoting a lot more time to bad suggestive lines and even worse facial expressions, and less to quickly grabbing whatever tool or part Kallus asked for next or helping with the repair. It was a sign of how bad things could really get this time that he wasn't even trying to distract Kallus into taking a break.

Eventually, Kallus stopped cursing and set the emergency transponder down. "Well, it's working," he said. "But I can't tell if the range is going to be good enough."

Zeb pulled him away from the front of the pod and into a comfortable sprawl. "Nothing to do now but wait," he said, and waggled his eyebrows. 

Kallus rolled his eyes, but settled down against Zeb's comforting warmth and accepted the ration pack he was handed. They did at least have plenty of food, and there was no need to bully Zeb into eating more of it than Kallus to keep up with his higher caloric output.

"What is it about us that makes the universe so intent on stranding us together in small spaces?" Kallus asked, after he finished eating. He'd had the thought before, but this really was getting ridiculous. Even the seriousness of the situation didn't keep him from finding it amusing on some level.

Zeb shrugged, shifting against Kallus to get more comfortable. "Karabast if I know," he said. "If things go as they usually do, something good will come of it, though."

"I hope that holds true."

Sixteen hours later, Kallus felt his mood slipping. They'd cycled through sex, sleep, food, more sex, and some pretty ridiculous pouting from Zeb when Kallus vetoed even more sex in order to conserve their air. It was getting steadily colder, and while the emergency transponder was still working, he was starting to doubt the Ghost would be able to pull off another miracle.

Zeb finished stretching and grabbed another ration pack. "Maybe we should try to get this bucket of bolts moving."

"There's not enough power to do that and keep life support at any kind of decent level," Kallus replied. "Either Hera finds us, or…" he trailed off, not willing to voice the alternative.

"She'll find us," Zeb said firmly. "There are still some closets back on base we haven't been locked in together yet. The universe isn't done with us."

Kallus smiled and rested his head on Zeb's shoulder, tugging the blanket around them more closely as Zeb finished eating.

"It would be okay, to have it happen here," Kallus said abruptly, almost without meaning to say anything. He'd had the thought many times, the feeling of gratitude for this chance at a meaningful life with someone he—someone he loved. He hadn't said as much to Zeb yet, but perhaps now was the right time.

"Hmm?"

"If I died," he continued. "If it had to happen, I wouldn't mind it being with you."

Zeb sat up straight and grabbed Kallus's shoulders. "Are you out of your mind?" he demanded. "You're not going to die!"

Kallus shook his head. "I don't _want_ to die. I just mean—if I have to die, I'd want it to be with you, on a mission."

"If this is what Imperials consider romantic, count me out," Zeb said, then winced. "I just mean, I can't joke about that. I can't joke about losing you." His voice broke as he said the words, and Kallus pulled one of Zeb's hands into his

He hadn't thought there was anything Zeb couldn't joke about, but he knew better than to say that out loud now.

"I'm sorry," he offered, instead. "It's not meant to be a joke."

"Listen, maybe you're right," Zeb said, eyes searching for something from Kallus. "Maybe this is where we're supposed to die. But I'm _not going to let that happen_."

Instead of his first instinctual reply (a raised eyebrow and a sarcastic comment), Kallus held his tongue, and tried to let his face show how he felt. It was new, this kind of physical intimacy that let Zeb see more than the mask Kallus still wore, even as a rebel. Part of him hated it, but the rewards were always worth it.

"I know," he said after a short silence. "I won't let you die, either."

It was a promise both of them knew he couldn't keep, but the way Zeb relaxed at the words made Kallus relax, too.

"I love you, you idiot," Zeb grumbled, and Kallus felt his mouth fall open. He shut it quickly, but couldn't think of what to say.

"Well," Zeb demanded, ears twitching wildly. "Aren't you going to say it back?"

Kallus smiled helplessly. "Yes, dear," he told Zeb. "I love you, too.

"That's better," Zeb said, and pulled Kallus in for a kiss.

They settled down against each other again soon after, pulling all the blankets in tight around them. 

The emergency beacon pulsed steadily, and Kallus listened to Zeb's slow, steady breathing and tried to clear his mind.

***

Kanan opened the hatch of the escape pod some hours later and found them there, bitterly cold, but not permanently worse for the wear. He didn't even joke about having to rescue them, which meant he and Hera had been worried they might not make it in time.

"C'mon," he said, and moved to help them both stand. "Chopper's got heated blankets ready. Any injuries?"

Kallus shook his head, stumbling into the Ghost, Zeb following closely behind him.

"We're fine, Kanan," Zeb said. He looked at Kallus and winked, most of his usual good humor back in his eyes. "This is just a habit of ours, now."

Kanan looked from Zeb to Kallus and raised an eyebrow. "Ooookay," he said. "Hera, I've got them. We can go."

Kallus took Zeb's hand and rubbed a thumb over his palm. It was good to be home.

 

**5\. Lira San**

Kallus accompanied Zeb to Lira San on his trip to deliver several Lasat refugees under duress, and after much protest.

("Do you really want to find out what your people will think of you if you show up with me in tow?" he'd demanded, more than once. "Not to mention what they'll want to _do_ to _me_."

Zeb had stayed firm. "You played a part in us finding Lira San, even if you didn't know it at the time. They'll want to meet you and it'll be fine.")

His fears, it turned out, were the wrong ones to have had. Lira San _loved_ him. Lira San loved him so much he'd barely spent more than two minutes uninterrupted with Zeb since they'd arrived.

Zeb found it hilarious. They were walking together through one of the largest city parks, and Zeb was trying his hardest to get Kallus to snap. Every once in a while, they heard rustling behind them as the ever-present fanclub gathered once word got out that they were in the park.

"Mr. Kallus, can I take your picture? Will you eat dinner with my family? Can I take you home to my grandmother?" Zeb's very bad falsetto did nothing to improve Kallus's mood.

"Do you want to be murdered on your ancestral planet?" Kallus asked. "I'm finding the thought very comforting right now."

Zeb gave him a pointed look as a young Lasat woman mustered the courage to touch Kallus on the arm. "Excuse me?" she said, almost too quietly to be heard.

Kallus smiled as comfortingly as he could, which he feared was not actually very comforting at all.

She blushed a dark purple, but found her voice again. "My mothers wanted me to ask you if you had a favorite dish they could make? We're hosting you tonight for dinner."

Zeb broke down laughing, and Kallus glared at him. The girl began to back away, and Kallus reached out to steady her.

"Pay no mind to him," he said gently. "I'm very pleased to be joining your family for dinner, and I'd appreciate it if you told your mothers that I've enjoyed all the Lasat food I've been served so far. If they have a specialty, I'd love to try it."

"Thank you," she replied, flushing again. "I'll tell them right away." 

She ran off down the path toward the town center, and Kallus slapped Zeb's arm. He was _still_ laughing, bent over with his arms braced on his knees.

"You almost scared her," Kallus said reproachfully.

Zeb swallowed a few more laughs and sighed noisily, standing up. "And you were worried they wouldn't like you!" he said. 

Kallus refused to dignify that with a response.

***

After dinner, they attempted to sneak back to the ship for some privacy. On the way, they were caught by no less than ten people who had questions for Kallus, or things they'd meant to tell him.

They made it to the ship eventually, and Kallus grinned widely as he realized the very simple solution to their problem. One could even call it romantic, considering their history. He pulled out his blaster and shot the door control once the door had shut behind them.

"Oh no," he said, while Zeb stared at him in confusion. "The door has somehow sealed shut, and we can't leave the ship. We're stuck. Whatever will we do?'

Zeb's puzzled look morphed into a grin. "Karabast," he said. "I better tell Chava not to expect us for breakfast. Or lunch. Repairs might take all day tomorrow."

"Now you're talking," Kallus said. He pulled Zeb close for the first time in days, and they made the most of their temporary freedom.

***

Sixteen hours later, sweaty, rumpled, and ready for a home-cooked meal, Kallus stared at the ruined door console in disbelief, then turned to stare at Zeb. "What do you mean you can't open the doors manually?"

"Uh, well, I thought you knew that?" Zeb's ears tipped forward beseechingly. 

"Karabast!"

 

[the end]


End file.
